NASA Rover Gains Martian Vista From Ridgeline

The rim surrounding Endeavour Crater on Mars recedes southward, then sweeps around to the east in a vista obtained by NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The view is from high on the south end of the “Murray Ridge” portion of the crater’s western rim.

The image was assembled from multiple exposures taken by Opportunity’s panoramic camera (Pancam) in April. It shows locations along the rim that the rover has subsequently reached and may explore in the future.

This vista of the Endeavour Crater rim was acquired by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera on April 18, 2014, from the southern end of "Murray Ridge" on the western rim of the crater. In mid-May, the rover approached the dark outcrops on the flank of the hill at right. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.

NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover spent several months exploring portions of Murray Ridge. Since reaching the local high point on the ridgeline from which this panorama was taken, the rover has proceeded southward to reach an exposure of aluminum-rich clay detected from orbit.

During Opportunity’s first decade on Mars and the 2004-2010 career of its twin, Spirit, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Project yielded a range of findings proving wet environmental conditions on ancient Mars — some very acidic, others milder and more conducive to supporting life.

This vista of the Endeavour Crater rim was acquired by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's panoramic camera on April 18, 2014, from "Murray Ridge" on the western rim of the crater. It is presented in false color to make differences in surface materials more easily visible. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.

The component images for this 360-degree panorama were taken by the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity after the rover drove about 97 feet southeastward on April 22, 2014. The location is on the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The two parallel tracks are 3.3 feet apart. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech